If you ask us, fall is the best time of year. We both happily sip on iced coffee year-round, but there’s something so iconic about that seasonal switch from summer iced lattes to fall cappuccinos. Who isn’t excited for a September PSL? And while treating ourselves to coffee is one of our favorite things to do—we don’t pay for $7 seasonal lattes every day. There’s an art to an at-home coffee station, and having one is essential for anyone who requires a morning caffeine fix. As coffee connoisseurs ourselves, we thought we’d give you a peek into our own at-home coffee stations—take a look!
Kristen’s Coffee Station
The star of my coffee station is the Nespresso Creatista Plus Espresso Machine. I recently updated my Keurig to this machine, and boy, it doesn’t disappoint. My Keurig was great for regular coffee, but I had been craving at-home espresso drinks. My kitchen doesn’t have a ton of counter space, so large espresso machines were out of the picture. I was drawn to this Nespresso mainly because of its size—it’s petite, includes a steaming wand for milk, and the stainless steel is gorgeous. I used to work at Starbucks, and the milk steamer on this machine is very similar to the ones the baristas use there. You get excellent foam! I’m obsessed. You can find this machine at Williams-Sonoma!
Perhaps a unique feature of my coffee station is my pebbled ice machine. Even though fall and winter are for hot lattes, I’m always down for iced coffee if the mood strikes, no matter how cold it is outside. Having nugget ice on hand feels incredibly luxurious—it’s soft, crunchy and restaurant-style ice is perfect for cold coffees. It’s also fantastic for cocktails, mocktails, and afternoon Diet Coke. Mine is from Amazon, but you can also score the GE Opal nugget ice machine at Williams-Sonoma as well!
Finally, I don’t usually use syrups or creamers at home, so you won’t find any at my coffee station. You will, however, find an incredibly organized drawer full of Nespresso pods and powdered drinks. This used to be a kitchen junk drawer, but now, thanks to some Home Edit organizing bins from The Container Store, it’s a well-organized drink station. In addition to my Nespresso pods, I also have my pre-workout, True Citrus crystallized lemon, and greens powder. All of my fancy drinks are well within reach!
Sadie’s Coffee Bar
It’s no surprise that I love coffee–I co-created Mani Meets Coffee, after all! The ritual of making coffee every morning is literally why I get out of bed in the morning. So it goes without saying that my coffee bar needs to be two things: cute and functional. The luxury of having everything I need in one beautiful place to make my morning cup of coffee is an essential part of this routine.
Perhaps the most essential part of my coffee bar, aside from maybe the coffee beans, is the coffee maker. I use either a Chemex or a standard pour-over, depending on how much coffee I plan to drink that morning. A dream of mine is to one day have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, thrifted pour-over, but in the meantime, this standard pour-over does the job and fits the color palette of my coffee bar.
I use an espresso machine for my mid-afternoon lattes with decaf espresso pods. I know a lot of people tend to judge decaf drinks, but honestly, it’s a life hack for me. Switching to decaf in the afternoon allows me to continue experiencing the taste of delicious coffee while not sacrificing my quality of sleep at night.
The pink Fellow kettle (Williams-Sonoma) may be my most prized possession (only partially a hyperbole). This kettle is the epitome of cute and functional and was a game changer to my coffee game when I got it a year ago. It helps brew the perfect cup because it’s temperature-controlled, and I love that the gooseneck spout provides precision with pouring, ensuring all the grounds are covered evenly. And, come on, the pink color always looks so good on the counter.
I have a copy of James Hoffman’s book (Anthropologie) because, let’s be honest, it also fits the aesthetic, but The Best Coffee at Home taught me how to make my bougie coffee. Hoffman is such a great resource for learning how to make coffee really well. Before getting his book, I watched him on YouTube for years. He makes brewing coffee an art form, and learning from him is truly a master class in coffee.
Everyone has a favorite mug; mine is this perfect black, white, and gold tiled “S” mug from Anthropologie, of course. I use the adorable, matching ceramic measuring cups (Paper Source) for everything, but I keep them on the coffee station because they fit so well with the aesthetic and deserve to be on display.
I always like to have an “Espresso” Boulangerie candle (another Anthropologie find) in my home. This candle is the best-smelling coffee candle I have been able to find. I find that they usually smell too sugary and milky, but this candle is pure espresso, I’m sure Sabrina Carpenter would approve.
The shelves are mostly here for the vibe. I love the little bee and flower spoons (Anthropologie) for stirring in syrups, and I thrifted a napkin holder to hold my coffee filters. I like that they are easy to access, exactly where I need them, but are still organized. A couple of succulents and a tiny bouquet of dried flowers (Terrain) are scattered throughout the station. I find incorporating real plants makes everything seem cozier and more lived in.
The items that aren’t on display on the coffee bar but are still essential to my process are a scale for measuring the beans, a spray bottle for static control, a heated frother (Target) (which I mostly use for simultaneously heating and frothing eggnog for eggnog lattes in the winter), coffee beans in airtight sealed containers (Williams-Sonoma), and the apothecary bottles I keep in the fridge that contain homemade simple syrups.
Having a space that combines style and functionality is essential to my coffee ritual. Nothing is quite as magical as waking up in the morning and making coffee at my little coffee station. It’s a cute, little haven where I can enjoy my favorite drink and start the day right.
Listen to the soundtrack to September here!
